Chasing Shadows
by The Freelancer Collaboration
Summary: At the heart of the region of Lohtan lies a corruption that has grown, unchecked, for generations. Now, finally able to rear their heads, Team Rocket plague the region, plunging it into chaos. A group of trainers will rise to defeat them, or perish in the attempt. So it has been foretold, and the legendaries are watching...
1. Prologue

**(A/N) Hey guys, time to unveil our newest fic, "Chasing Shadows", taking a bit of a step out of our usual comfort zone by writing about Rooster Teeth related areas, branching out into a new Pokémon collaboration, and the prologue is here for your enjoyment!This originally started off, about two years ago, as I fic I began, which went by the same name, but soon abandoned due to time constraints, though the idea for it has lingered with me ever since. Now, I'm proud to be able to say, I think we're going to be able to do it justice, and I'm viewing this as a rebirth for my old "Chasing Shadows" fic, with some new great writers to give it an extra kick. We have some great writers on board, and I can't wait to work with them for the rest of this fic! We've got big plans here, and have put out the prologue as a bit of a teaser, to try and gauge the interest out there. Next update won't be for a while, but after that we should be hitting hard and fast with chapters, so watch this space!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Prologue**

**All**

**Written by NicKenny, WargishBoromirFan, Gumby1011, ****SpoonyAzul,**

**InDeepDarkWood, Xehanorto & Minaethiel**

* * *

"_And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings." _― Meister Eckhart

* * *

In the beginning there was Nothing. No sun, no moon, no grass, no trees, no water, no life. But out of this, a consciousness began to form, without body or thought, but driven by the simple desire of discontent, alone in the abyss of Nothing. For a long time, it lay in wait, gathering its energy into a single core of being. It gradually became aware that it was apart from the Nothing that surrounded it, and this epiphany confused and terrified it. If it was not Nothing, then what was it? Eventually, it reconciled itself with this idea, and wondered what it was. It decided that if it was not Nothing, then it would need a name for itself, to distinguish it from the abyss.

It spent a long time reflecting on this, before finally uncovering its name. With this discovery, the very Nothing that it had broken from shook, and in this chaos the being spoke its one word, shattering the Nothing. That word was the name it had given itself, the only word that it knew.

And that word was "Arceus".

_I hear you sister. Even with all the distance of the world between us, I can still hear you. You should have known you'd never be able to hide from me. What am I but part of you after all? And how can you hide from yourself?_

* * *

The gangly youth blended into the brush, hard to spot as more than a pile of stick-like limbs, a bag of leaf-covered foliage, and a shock of brown hair, a sleeping nest for the abra atop him. Then the forest moved, and it was difficult to say who vanished from the area quicker.

* * *

This creature, Arceus, looked around, and realised that the Nothing had been shattered, and that it was now malleable, and he began to shape himself a body, determined to make himself as different from the Nothing as he possibly could, now that he was certain of his individuality.

When he completed this task and saw that his work was good, he began to shape, from the nothing, companions to rid him of his isolation and loneliness, to delight him with their own thoughts and words and personalities.

And so he created his four children, Palkia, Dialgia, Giratina and Mew.

_But not I. I wasn't shaped by the hand of a loving father, but by monsters who only wished for me to serve them without question, or dissent, in order for them to grow more powerful and decadent, ruling over others through the abuse of my abilities. I knew nothing but pain and anger, until I met you sister. You, who taught me peace. You, who taught me to see the beauty in every living thing, and to understand that not everything is inherently evil._

_Yet despite that, my anger is still here, deep within me. I have heard it said that in the end all sins are forgiven. But not all, my dear sister. Some people deserve to burn._

* * *

A young man with precisely trimmed, black hair, a lab coat and glasses leans over a complicated machine. He is in a large laboratory, and all around him similarly dressed individuals are standing over similar machines. A screen across the front of the machine then blinks on, and displays the words **"Process completed."** The top half of the machine lifts up, and white vapours roll out onto the floor as the young man smirks to himself. "Welcome to the world," he says.

* * *

Palkia and Dialgia worked together to shape the nothing into space and time respectively, working together until it was impossible to tell where the work of one ended and the other's began. From their work planets, moons, suns and stars took shape, floating in the abyss of shattered Nothing which the scientists of humanity have since named _dark matter._ Oceans formed, and plant-life sprung up on these worlds, and Arceus, their father, was greatly pleased with what they had created, and entrusted them with the keeping of space and time so that these marvels that they had created could continue to exist and delight him.

Giratina, working by himself, immersed in Nothing, shaped a world for himself wherein he embraced the coldness and darkness, and this came to be known as the Reverse World. Arceus, moved by how his son had embraced that which he himself had broken from, and created something new and beautiful, entrusted him with the keeping of this world, and would eventually entrust him with the souls of all those among humanity and Pokémon who would pass away, their souls now living in the Reverse World, beautiful and immortal, guarded and loved by Giratina, thankful of the faith his father has placed in him.

Mew, the only daughter of Arceus, and the youngest of the four, wondered at her brothers' creations, but at the same time saw that they lacked something vital. Though their creations were truly wondrous, they could not compare to the wonder that each of them themselves were. In short, their creations were a far cry from that of their father, lacking the uniqueness that they exuded with every breath. Seeing this, Mew worked closely with smaller pieces of Nothing than her brothers had, and created what are now known as the legendary Pokémon, imbuing them with shards of her brothers' creations, such as water, fire and rock. While her works were miniscule in comparison to that of her brothers, they were just as filled with life as they themselves were, and Arceus was more pleased with her work than even that of her brothers. He decided that her creations would populate the worlds created by her brothers, those of Palkia and Dialgia while they lived, and Giratina's Reverse World after their deaths, for while Palkia and Dialgia's worlds were far more beautiful and suitable for Mew's creations, even Arceus couldn't grant immortality. One day he would die, and his creations with him.

_But why should we die with him, sister? Why should my doom be predetermined by a father who never created me? A father that I have never met? Why should I not be immortal, a god among those lesser individuals which I am forced to dwell among? Why should _we _accept this injustice, rather than try to circumvent it?_

* * *

He was a floodlight in the meadow, moving slowly, carefully through the lumbering beasts around him. The miltank paid the cream pokémon he rode only the barest hint of attention, lowing gently; the pinked hued animals were used to the proud rapidash blinding their eyes when he pranced past, eliciting a smile from the rider, his face hidden in the shadow cast by his hood, drawn close up against his cheeks, protection from the cool wind. He whistled softly, the sound travelling along the grass, and in the darkness, an eerie sound rose up, lonesome at first, but joined by another of its brethren, and then another, until the howls split the air. The miltank's hooded heads lifted in unison, their calls increasing in worry, and they rumbled into action, rapidash on their heels, his rider spurring them on to the safety of the farm, for what he hoped was the last time, for a long while.

* * *

Proud of Mew for having outshone her three brothers, he entrusted her with the responsibility over protecting all of her creations, and ensuring they all found a home, somewhere on the worlds created by her brethren. Mew travelled from world to world with her children, seeking a place for them to call home. Eventually she came across an island on a world that Palkia has recently shaped, hoping to help his sister in her search. Here they settled, naming the land Lohtan, and spread across the island.

She instructed her children in the art of creating living, thinking beings, and each of them created their own children. For example her son Heatran, dwelling in an active volcano amongst the lava, created the Magmar and Slugma lines, amongst others, finding inspiration in the molten rock in which he dwelled. He himself, and the mate Mew created for him, had – over the millennia – a handful of children of their own, and some of these spread out to far off islands, though most remained at home, for these lesser legendries did not possess the near-immortality of Mew and her brothers, and lived and died like all other Pokémon across the world.

_I never liked Heatran. A vain, unintelligent excuse for a nephew. Fire is not where power lies, that much I know. It's in our minds, our psyches, where we gain true power._

* * *

Among one of the many paths of the forest, a spot of black and white could be seen nestled among the trees. Bright hazel eyes shone with happiness as she chatted with a houndour at her side, and she stopped briefly to brush a stray lock of dark red hair out of her face before continuing her soundless conversation.

* * *

Mew was proud of her children, and lived with them for many years, helping them enlarge the world they lived in, expanding the island and moving to others, until there wasn't an area on that planet that hadn't been visited by her children at one stage or the other.

Eventually she parted from them, leaving that planet to return to her father, hoping to please him with word of her discoveries and the creations of her children. When she reached him, however, she discovered that much had occurred in her absence. Giratina, jealous of her creations and the favour that their father had heaped upon her, had poisoned Arceus' mind against his children, spending every waking moment finding some way to prove to Arceus that Mew desired his power, and only created her children with the intention of using them against him.

Sometime earlier, Giratina had worked to create divisions between his brothers, Palkia and Dialgia, who had become aware of the state of their father's thoughts and sought to undo all of Giratina's work. It had been the work of an age, but eventually Dialgia and Palkia could no longer bear to look at each other, having been convinced that the other was actively working towards their own downfall and destruction, and Giratina was free to continue to turn Arceus against Mew and her creations.

_So Dialgia and Palkia weren't always enemies? This is something that I had not been aware of. Perhaps your nonsensical ramblings are actually worth listening to. Then again, perhaps my time alone has made me soft. I miss you, sister. I miss our talks. I do not understand why you continue to ignore me._

* * *

A girl, no more than eighteen years old, with long blonde hair and startlingly green eyes, sat with her parents at a long table, mouth-watering food covering every available inch of the table's surface. A host of waiters and maids bustled in and out, removing and replacing that which had been eaten. Congratulating her on her recent graduation, her parents passed over a garishly wrapped box, and with a squeal of excitement the girl tore it open, revealing a pokéball within. Her smile, however, faded slightly when she released a bulbasaur, the grass-type glaring at its new trainer with unrestrained malevolence and hatred.

* * *

When Mew came before her father, expecting to receive praise and love, instead received contempt and disdain. Arceus banished her from his sight, using his power to ensure this command could never be broken. Both Palkia and Dialgia appeared before them then, to plead her case, but upon realising that the other was present as well, fell to fighting and bickering. This act only served to outrage Arceus further, and he banished Palkia to fly through space, never landing on the world he had helped create, never meeting another soul. He then turned to Dialgia, and cursed him to flit through time, unable to live with those he came across due to his inability to perceive time as they did, second by second, minute by minute, but instead was exposed to the whole web of time, doomed to forever be a part of every moment, and none.

The two brothers left silently, but Mew took one faltering step towards her father, and a tear streamed down her face at his feet, before turning and leaving. Arceus, moved by his daughter's act of remorse, realised the true folly of his actions, and fell into woe, for he was unable to unbind his children from the doom he had laid upon them.

Turning to Giratina, eyes full of wrath, Arceus banished him forever to the Reverse World, where nothing he would eat would satisfy his hunger, and nothing he would drink would quench his thirst. He was doomed to be forever cold, unable to leave the world he had created to view the wonders created by his siblings, until the children of Mew passed away and came to be under his care.

Arceus then fell asleep, weary without the energy that he had spent on banishing his children, entombing himself in a ball of obsidian, just before he lost consciousness. Many years passed before he woke, and much had changed.

_Oh yes, and when he woke, the world had "changed". I should know, after all. I had been created by then. That was change enough in itself, or was to me. But I don't think you're talking about _me_, are you sister?_

No Mewtwo, I am not. You know exactly of whom I'm referring to.

_So, you've heard of them too? Interesting… I wonder, how long will they last out there, in the big cruel world?_

* * *

The little girl ran her comb against her shinx's fur, eliciting a small purr from the electric-type. Like the other co-ordinators, she wore a white and pink dress with a matching hat, gloves and shoes, her blonde hair worn long and curled in little ringlets. It was almost time for the show. She noticed this while she placed a yellow lily behind her pokémon's ear, and a blue bow on the end of its tail. It wasn't much, but it had to be enough.

* * *

They will fulfil their destinies. It has been foretold.

_But if they do not? You and I both know what fickle things prophecies are. How do you know they won't break beneath the pressure, and turn into that which they are _destined _to destroy? Power corrupts all kinds of beings, no matter how noble their intentions, or virtuous their hearts? What happens if this prophecy, like so many others, fails?_

* * *

The older man smirked as he tossed his pokéball up in the air, garbed with the standard Team Rocket uniform. With piercing yellow eyes and a few strands of red hair from underneath his hat, he looked at his next 'opponent'. This one would go down just like the rest, and he, like all the others, would learn to fear the name 'Rocket'.

* * *

You almost sound like you want it to.

_I sound like nothing of the sort. I am indifferent towards these children, their future is of little concern to me. My life will not change whether they rise or fall, I will continue to be, none the worse than I am now. But tell me, Mew, what if they fail? Where will that leave you?_

* * *

A young, dark haired man strolled through a city's streets, appearing unconcerned as dozens of police officers milled past him, towards the glowing horizon in the east, the only visible sign of the raging inferno burning its way through a considerable section of the old western-quarter of the city. An absol padded by him, on his left side, and growled softly, causing the young man to glance down at it. "Don't give me that," he murmured, his grim eyes hardening. "You know it's the only way to flush out rats."

The absol growled again in grudging agreement, and the man relaxed. And in the streets, two words passed from mouth to mouth, as worried eyes stared at the glow in the distance: "The Shadow."

* * *

They will not fail.

They cannot fail.

And if they do, the world as we know it will end, and I know you don't wish for that, brother. I can see into your heart, and despite your anger you have learned what it is to love. If these children fail, there will be nothing left for you, only pain and despair. Hope will die, along with beauty, purity and peace. You will be forced to travel, much as I have, without hope of redemption.

…

_So be it._


	2. Chapter 1: Beginnings

**(A/N) Finally, it's time to unveil the first non-prologue chapter of Chasing Shadows, and we're starting with my own two characters. For those who had read the original Chasing Shadows, there's not that much new here, just a lot of editing to make it more grammatically correct, and clearing up an embarrassing amount of spelling mistakes. Saying that, however, I'm pretty proud of it, and think it should leave you satisfied during the two week wait for our next chapter, which will be written by Gumby1011, and then on we will assume a weekly update, probably on Sundays. **

**Hope you all enjoy this one, and please feel free to review. We'd really appreciate the feedback!**

* * *

**Chapter One – Beginnings**

**Adam Barnes & Jessica Dorian**

**Written by NicKenny**

* * *

"_Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn fast." ― _William Nicholson,_ Shadowlands_

* * *

_Eight years ago..._

The young boy ran, oblivious to his surroundings, constantly tripping over the roots of trees, small shrubs, and even falling into a nest of rattata, receiving several bites from the small rodents in return. These minor distractions barely served to slow him down, and despite his tender age he moved as if all the demons of the Reverse World were on his heels. Behind him came the shouts of his pursuers, men clad all in black and a similarly coloured mightyena, yelling and barking after him as he raced through the forest, climbing higher and higher up the mountain.

Above him several murkrow squawked in interest as the figures in black began to close in on the child, and took it upon themselves to swoop down, scaring the child's pursuers, cackling malevolently as a stream of curses rose up after them.

The boy didn't even appear to notice this slight respite, continuing at the same pace as before, scrabbling up the mountain as the slope grew steeper, forced to use his hands in order to continue climbing. Tears streamed down his puffy face, and his eyes were reddened as a result. He was clad only in a pair of light orange pyjamas dotted with arcanine. The material was torn and stained with dirt from the journey up the mountain, thorns having cut through the thin material like a knife through butter. The boy paused for a moment to breathe through his sobs, and leaned against a tree, freezing as the sounds of his pursuers finally catches up with him.

He could hear the mightyena sniffing only a few feet away, and the low, dark grumbling of the men just behind it. He pressed his back against the tree, praying fervently that the men will not see him as they go by, and hoping against hope that somehow their mightyena's nose wouldn't pick up his scent.

Suddenly the mightyena's sniffing subsided, and it began to growl in a deep, primal tone. The men paused behind it, evidently concerned, and one stooped down next to it, asking, "What's wrong Fang? What's out there?"

The pokémon's hackles rose, and its growling grew even louder. The trainer, unnerved, reached down to his belt and took out a pokéball, releasing a haunter, and motioned for his partner to do the same. The other man fumbled in his pocket for a while before finding his pokéball, and sent out a koffing to join the other two pokémon. He then pulled out a small handgun from the holster on his left hip, knocking the safety catch off.

"What's going on?" he asked his partner wearily, who was still kneeling next to the growling mightyena. The haunter and koffing were similarly agitated; the haunter's face set into a terrifying grimace, its eyes darting from side to side, the koffing puffing itself up to its full size, its eyes wide with something that almost looked like…fear.

"They've picked up on something," the kneeling trainer said to his comrade, shaking his head slowly. "And they're not happy about it. Don't graveler live on this mountain? Maybe the kid got caught by a group of them?"

His partner laughed grimly. "Imagine that, getting away from us while his house is burning down only to be torn apart by those rock-monsters."

The boy glances around the area around him, his eyes darting from side to side, looking for any sign of graveler, or any other dangerous pokémon for that matter. He had been so caught up in escaping from those who had been pursuing him he hadn't given any thought to where he was actually running to. He had heard plenty of stories about graveler as a child, how they were prone to attacking trainers travelling through their territory, and it wasn't unheard of them to kill passing hikers. They didn't eat their victims though. Like the vast majority of rock pokémon, the diet of a graveler consisted of a variety of rocks and stones, they physically couldn't digest living material. However, that didn't make the thought of being killed by one of them any more appealing.

The kneeling man scowled, not noticing his mightyena take a few hesitant steps towards the long grass in front of him. "Serves the little shit right," he muttered. "Ought to have had the decency to stay put and die with his parents. The boss'll be up in arms if we don't return with his body."

His partner only laughed once more. "Come on, Mel. Do you really think that kid has any hope of lasting through the night up here? Hell, I wouldn't even be up here, except that you're here too and we're getting paid for it! Why don't we just head back and tell the boss he got eaten by a golem, or shredded by a flock of zubat or something? Hell, we might end up that way if we stay up here for too long!"

"He'd want proof," Mel stated glumly, suddenly noticing his mightyena edging into the tall grass. "What's going on Fang? Is he in there?"

The mightyena started growling, and then yelped. The grass began to shake, and Fang yelped once more, pain audible in his voice. "Nitro! Rev! Go help him!"

The koffing and the haunter floated towards the source of the disturbance, with as much haste as their floating bodies were capable of, quickly disappearing into the undergrowth. Snarling and yelping of various kinds burst out of the long grass, and the two men began to wonder what could possibly be going on, before their mightyena burst out of the undergrowth, its eyes wild, bite marks bleeding feely all over its body. It ran straight past its trainer and his companion, closely followed by a similarly wounded koffing and haunter. The koffing was considerably deflated, and also covered in bleeding bite marks, while the haunter, not having flesh to pierce, simply looked drained, floating a mere foot from the ground, its eyes rolling, its face locked in a countenance of extreme pain and terror. They also fled past their trainers, not listening to the streams of swearing calling them back, and the murkrow, still watching, chortled to one another.

The trainers looked at one another; their eyebrows raised in confusion, and turned slowly to the grass. The unnamed one raised his handgun, arm shaking slightly, aiming at the undergrowth in the direction their Pokémon had fled from, and was about to pull the trigger when a dark shape sped out of the thicket to his left and clamped its jaws around his wrist.

He dropped the gun, screaming in agony. Mel whipped out his own gun, but in the time it took for him to do so the shape had disappeared back into the undergrowth.

"What the fuck was that thing?!" he yelled to his partner, who only groaned, his left hand clasped around his right wrist, blood oozing between his fingers, the crimson liquid shimmering in the moonlight.

He grabbed his partner and dragged him away from the tall grass, heading back the way they had come from. "You're right," he hissed, taking a second to pause and look back at the tall grass where the creature had appeared out of. "The kid's got no chance out in this god-forsaken hole. Let's get the hell out of here."

They walked away, and for a short time only the sound of their footsteps and muffled curses were heard, until a terrified scream suddenly echoed throughout the forest, followed by the sounds of gunfire and another scream, cut off this time, and then all was silent.

The murkrow began to take flight into the air, making for the direction where the screams had come from, cackling darkly to one another. A noctowl screeched, hunting through the forest for any unfortunate rattata or patrat that were unlucky enough to come across it. The boy took a deep breath, and moved away from the relative protection of the tree, inching his way into the glade. In the darkness he stood on something angular and hard. He knelt down to pick it up, trying to inspect his find in the dim moonlight, eventually having to rely more on his hands than his eyes for identification. He felt the cold metallic surface of the object, noting the shape, and remembered the guns that the men had been carrying. One of them must have dropped his, the child surmised, perhaps when whatever that thing had been had attacked him.

Despite the darkness of the night, something flickered out of the corner of the boy's eye and he sprung to his feet, hesitantly raising the gun in front of him. "Who's out there?" he asked, his voice wavering. "What do you want?" Only silence met his words, until it was broken by the screech of the noctowl, returning to the area once more in its search for food.

The boy began to shake, tears streaming down his face as fear threatened to overload his senses. The hand holding the gun dropped to his side, and he shook his head, dismissing the tears in his eyes. He turned around, and screamed, staring into the face of the demon that had attacked the two men only a short while before.

Its bright, amber eyes met his own blue ones, and were filled with a look of wisdom and understanding greater than the boy had ever known. His hand opened and the gun fell to the forest's floor. The creature took a slow, deliberate step towards him, its face only inches away from his own, and growled softly.

"Absol."

* * *

_A week ago..._

Four men were seated around a large table in a dimly lit room, dozens of boxes, filled with all sorts of documents and files, were spread out all over the rickety table, its legs creaking under the weight. The television blared in the corner, and took up their full attention. Several pokémon stood around the room, peering out of windows or just looking wary, amongst them a hitmonlee, a breloom, a nidorina and a kirlia. The talking box held little amusement for them.

A rather frazzled looking man in a suit stared out at them from the television, appearing to quickly look over the notes that lay before him, before taking a deep breath and beginning. _"We have received reports of another Shadow attack, this time in Oakdale Town, over one hundred and fifty miles from last week's sighting. As always, the building attacked seemed to be used as a safehouse for the notorious criminal organisation, Team Rocket. Several Rockets were found, tied up and unconscious, in the building, by police who had received an anonymous tip off only moments earlier. Around the same moment that the police received the call, evidence was sent to them implicating the Rocket members discovered with several felonies committed over a period of the last ten years, including arson, jewellery heists, burglary, murder, aggressive assault –"_

The first man dropped the remote that he had just used to switch the television off, and sighed, shaking his head. "How long are we supposed to keep watch over these things?" he asked; the note of complaint distinct.

"Just 'til the morning," another muttered, clearly as impatient as the first to get the job over with.

"Fucking Shadow," the man sitting across from the two of them cursed, running his hand over his close shaven head. "Giving us all this extra work to do. How the _hell_ can the boss not find this guy anyway?"

The last man took this opportunity to speak up, and his voice echoed through the room menacingly, though he spoke no louder than a whisper. "They say he can turn invisible," he rasped, the eyes of the other three men all trained on him. "That he can walk through walls, that he can move faster than humanly possible and distorts the light that shines on him. I've had it from a friend who says he saw him one night, the night that three of us were captured when that big warehouse raid went bad, that he's eight feet tall, clad in black steel, and can teleport like an abra. People have claimed to have shot him or stabbed him time and time again, but he keeps coming back."

He paused for a moment, leaning forward, eyes locked on the man who had questioned their bosses' abilities. "Tell me," he murmured, his voice cutting through the air like a knife. "How do you stop a man like that? If he even _is_ a man."

The second man stood up, laughing to himself, breaking the silence and shattering the sense of unease that had filled the room. "Come on," he chuckled. "You can't really believe all that crap. Most likely it's just a group of trainers with a grudge, or maybe a psychic trainer that's after revenge. No way there's some sort of superhuman _thing _out there, hunting for Rockets. That kinda shit only happens on the television, in one of those Zubatman movies. Not in real life."

He pushed his chair underneath the table and smiled, shaking his head. "Anyway, I'm going out for a smoke. You guys think you can hold the fort without me for ten minutes?"

The first man spoke up once more, a note of apprehension in his voice. "We're not supposed to leave the room 'til dawn. Isn't that what the boss said?" he looked around for assurance, and the other two nodded in confirmation.

The standing Rocket just shrugged. "Fuck it, what's going to happen in ten minutes? I'll chance it. That pinsir of mine could probably do with some company anyway. Poor thing's been out there all night while _your _pokémon get to keep warm and cosy in here with us."

He turned away, pushing past a scyther belonging to one of his fellow Rockets, opened the door and walked out, reaching his hand into his jeans pocket in search of his pack of cigarettes. For a brief moment he stood there, taking in the cool night's air, before pausing as he realised that the pinsir, supposedly on guard duty, was nowhere to be seen.

"What the–" he muttered, before noticing something lying next to a pile of crates that lay against the side of the building. He walked over slowly, drawing his gun, scanning the area for any sign of movement.

The pinsir lay slumped against the crates, bruises covering its body, cuts and bites dotting its torso, evidently unconscious.

"Fuck!" the Rocket muttered, about to begin shouting in order to raise the alarm, when he sensed something moving behind him. He spun around, gun raised, but something grabbed his wrist in an iron-like grip and squeezed, forcing him to drop the gun.

He paled, as his mind registered precisely who and what he was staring at. A figure almost impossible to make out, blending perfectly into the background, almost as though the figure _was _invisible. All that visible was a blank, white face, devoid of a mouth, nose or ears, bare except for the two burning blue eyes that remained locked on his, chilling him to his core.

The Rocket choked, and spluttered out, in a weak voice. "You…you really _are _real."

The figure stared at him for a moment, its head cocked slightly to the side, and then moved suddenly, faster than the man's eyes could follow.

Everything went bla–_._

* * *

_Present Day..._

"_Reports of another Shadow attack have just come in. Occurring in the late hours of last night, quite possibly during our report on the previous attack during the eleven o' clock news, another group of Rockets have been discovered in what was supposedly another Rocket safehouse. Despite claims from the Rockets that they had been guarding many legal and financial documents for the organisations 'legal' enterprises, no examples of said documents were found, barring a few folders containing evidence incriminating the apprehended individuals in several accounts of pokémon theft, breaking and entering, aggravated assault, two bank heists, an assassination attempt on the previous Pokémon Champion, Eldrick Lawless, and four accounts of murder. Once again, as with all of the Shadow's previous attacks, the criminals were located after receiving an anonymous phone call. The police had no success in tracking the call down, and claim to have no new leads on the identity of the Shadow, appearing to be no closer to catching him than they were ten months ago, when he first appeared. They are once again appealing to anyone who has information on either the identity or whereabouts of the vigilante to come forward."_

A girl sat on one of the many couches in the Mossbawn Pokémon Center, fighting back tears as she tried to concentrate on the news blaring out from the huge television fixed onto the opposite wall. It was difficult for her to pay attention though. _Just another dumb announcement about the Shadow._ If the police hadn't caught him at this stage, it was doubtful they ever would. Lohtan was a big island, and it would be quite easy to go into hiding in one of the largely uninhabited areas that encompassed the majority of the island. You'd never need to come across another human being, as few enough trainers ventured that far into the wilderness, preferring to stick to the cities and the main routes in between them.

That was what she had been told, at least. All of her learning hadn't done her much good lately, and if it had, she wouldn't be here.

Her mind dimly registered the sounds of someone calling her name, and turned to see a nurse standing by a door a couple of metres away, a clipboard in hand. "Jessica Dorian?" she asked once more, looking around at the various trainers sitting in the Center's waiting room.

Jessica raised her hand and stood up, swinging her backpack over her shoulder, her face a picture of anxiety and concern. "Is he ok?" she asked, a note of concern prevalent in her voice, dreading the answer, certain that the nurse's tired face was going to deliver bad news.

Despite Jessica's fears, the nurse only gave a little smile and looked down once more at her clipboard. "Your bulbasaur is going to be fine," she said reassuringly, smiling again as the trainer visibly sagged in relief. "He's going to need to rest for a week or two. No battling until Monday week at the earliest. He took quite a beating."

Jessica reddened at the slight tone of reproach in the nurse's voice and hung her head in shame. The nurse stared at her for a minute before finally relenting, letting out a little sigh. "Well, you wouldn't be the first new trainer to end up a little out of their depth. Just try to avoid battling the more experienced trainers for a while. You and your bulbasaur need time to bond, to grow together as a team. He's a strong little thing, he'll bounce back soon enough. He bit one of the surgeons operating on him."

Jessica gave a small laugh at the last part. That definitely sounded like Thorn all right. _Thorn by name and thorny by nature._ At least he'd only be out of action for a week or two. She had worried that it might have been much more severe when she brought him to the hospital, after stupidly agreeing to battle that damn trainer in the town square. She had been afraid that he was going to die…

She frowned, angry at herself once more, as the nurse led her into Thorn's ward. Her bulbasaur was apparently deep in conversation with a bayleef, who had one of its legs in a cast. The nurse smiled and laid her hand gently on Jessica's shoulder, gently whispering, "I'll leave you two to it," pushing Thorn's pokéball into her hand.

Jessica took a hesitant step forward and murmured, "Hey Thorn," before throwing herself to the ground, dodging a vine that lashed through the air towards her. She activated the pokéball and returned Thorn before he could send another vine whip her way. She turned back to the rather shocked looking nurse and shrugged. "I think we have a _lot _of bonding to get through."

The nurse simply sighed once more, her good humour gone, and presented Jessica with a few standard release forms. When Jessica had finished signing them and handed them to the nurse she was informed that she was free to go, but with that bulbasaur of hers, it probably would be wise not to stray too far.

Jessica reddened once more and gave an embarrassed nod to the nurse, acknowledging the truth behind her words, then turned tail and fled from her judging gaze. As she walked through the streets of Mossbawn, looking for somewhere to sit down and rest for a while, she mournfully cursed her bad luck. Of course she'd be saddled with the most malevolent, vindictive and _evil _starter ever assigned in the history of pokémon training! And weren't grass types supposed to be the easiest types to train for beginners? Three years of advanced education, and for what? She might as well head back to Blackroot University and return her degree! Nowhere, in any of the texts that they had studied, gave any suggestions on what to do when your own pokémon tries to kill you! And her starter, no less! Wasn't there supposed to be some sort of natural bond between a trainer and their starter? And by a bond, she didn't mean a vine coiled around her throat, strangling her in her sleep!

She walked into the park adjacent to the Pokémon Center, and found a bench, continuing to fume. The damn thing wouldn't even_ listen_ to her anyway! How could she train it if it persisted in refusing to obey her? She had done _everything_ by the book upon receiving her starter as a present for her seventeenth birthday. When she first released it, to the awe of her extended family, she gave the little grass-type some specially cooked treats, hoping this act would endear her to it, as it was no doubt hungry from the time spent inside the pokéball.

And that was the point where it all started to go wrong.

The bulbasaur had taken a small, hesitant sniff of the treat before concluding that Jessica intended to poison him, and then proceeded to attack everyone in the room with quite an impressive mixture of tackles, bites and vine whips, growling throughout. It was only after the little green devil had knocked Uncle Robert into the huge crystal punch bowl that she managed to return it.

Her father's response was "It's a lively little thing, isn't it?" before sending a servant to fetch a towel for Uncle Robert, who was soaked through his suit with the sweet smelling liquid, and was still catching his breath after receiving a rather strong tackle to the stomach.

Their relationship hadn't improved much since. Thorn continued to try and attack her every time he was released from his pokéball, unless something else caught his attention first. As a result Jessica had resorted to only releasing him for pokémon battles, unwilling to continue trying to fight off his attempts at murder.

And, well, it had been working up until last night. Thorn's ferocity, despite his unwillingness to obey her commands, meant that he was able to trump most other pokémon at his level. Unfortunately, Mossbawn wasn't a traditional starting area for pokémon trainers, as its Gym Leader, the grass-type specialist Jonah Root, was considered to be one of the tougher ones, refusing to take it easy on beginners, unlike the majority of his counterparts. As a result, the only trainers in Mossdeep were either experienced enough to consider taking on the Gym, or university graduates like her who had travelled here from Blackroot, as it was the only town that was easy to get to for new trainers.

* * *

_Thorn had won the majority of his matches that night, and had even grudgingly allowed Jessica to pat his head without immediately trying to kill her, when a guy about her own age came up to them, asking for a battle. Jessica at first had been hesitant, not recognising the trainer from university, concluding that he must be one of the trainers in town to challenge the Gym. _

_The trainer, seeing her hesitation, told her that he was from a small village north of here, and confessed that he hadn't in fact won any Gym badges yet. Encouraged by his confession, Jessica had agreed to the battle, momentarily shocked when the trainer released a graveler, but took some comfort in the fact that the rock-type was at a disadvantage._

_The battle was over in mere seconds. _

_Thorn's vine whip wasn't nearly strong enough to penetrate the graveler's thick, stony hide. The rock-type simply tackled the small bulbasaur, and then followed up with a seismic toss, sending Thorn crashing into the ground, bleeding heavily. Jessica ran towards her pokémon, taking him into her arms and was to make for the Pokémon Center when the trainer stopped her, demanding the winnings for his victory. _

_Jessica, too upset and concerned with Thorn's safety to care about money at this moment, handed over the exorbitant sum the trainer demanded, and fled, running as fast as she could, praying that Thorn would be alright._

* * *

Jessica held his pokéball out in front of her, wondering if it would be fairer on Thorn just to release him back into the wild. He clearly detested her, and who could blame him. She clearly was a poor trainer, the fact that Thorn had taken such a beating last night was the only confirmation she needed. She wouldn't need to feel ashamed about it. She could…she could go back to her father and get a job in his company, and go back to being the good-little-pretty-rich-girl. And…after a few years…maybe she could try again? It wasn't unheard of for people to become trainers in their twenties or even their thirties! This didn't mean she was giving up, did it?

She stood up and walked over to a nearby lamppost, punching it in her anger with her free hand and then letting out a small groan as the pain hit. She stood there, shaking her hand, cursing her own stupidity and falling back into despair. She almost jumped when a voice suddenly spoke to her, and she raised her eyes to see a tall young man with short, spiky brown hair staring at her with a concerned look on his face, an absol by his side. Jessica's eyes widened at the sight of such a rare pokémon, and she gave a sad little smile before registering what the man had just said.

"Hey kid, are…are you okay?"

Her face suddenly contorted into a frown, and she glared at the confused young man. "I'm sorry, but I'm not a child. You yourself can't be more than a year or two older than me!" She paused, suddenly aware that the man was smiling slightly to himself, completely unperturbed by her sudden burst of anger. She shook her head slowly before sinking back into her seat, slowly muttering, "I'm fine."

The man walked over and sat on the bench across from her, his absol similarly sitting down by his side. "Really?" he asked, still smiling slightly, his eyes containing a touch of concern. "'Cos you don't look fine."

Jessica just shrugged, sighing, irritated by this man with his questions and obnoxiously obedient pokémon. "Ok, maybe I'm not," she grudgingly conceded. "My bulbasaur hates me, and he spent last night in hospital after some asshole of a trainer lied to me about how many badges he had, and then forced me to hand almost half my money over. Fucking asshole.

The man frowned. "Lied about his badges?" he asked, a harsh underlying tone to his voice.

Jessica took a deep breath and nodded in confirmation, refusing to look up, not wanting the stranger to see the tears forming in the corners of her emerald-green eyes. "Well, he claimed he didn't have _any _badges yet, but he had a fucking graveler! He couldn't _not_ have any badges, it was just too damn strong. He's lied to a few other trainers as well. At least, that's what one of the nurses said to me when I handed Thorn in last night. They've had a couple of other trainers' pokémon in, pretty badly injured, thanks to that guy. Apparently the police can't do anything about it because he's not breaking any laws."

The young man shook his head angrily and his absol began to growl next to him, a deep, fierce, primal sound that reverberated through Jessica's body. "Trainers are required to be honest about their badge count and tier level," the man murmured, his fists clenching and unclenching rapidly. "It's the very foundation of the Pokémon League. It's one of the lines that you can't cross, along with abuse of your pokémon, and using your pokémon for violence outside of a battle. It might not be a _law_, but that doesn't make it less important."

He spoke slowly, enunciating every word carefully as though he had learnt them by rote many years before. He sat there for another moment, still shaking his head angrily, before springing up to his feet.

"Show me where you battled this guy," he demanded, his face serious, his deep blue eyes locked on her.

Jessica only stared at him for a moment, before shrugging to herself. "Fair enough," she muttered, wondering what harm it could do. Privately she was hoping that somehow this would end up with the graveler's trainer getting the crap knocked out of him, a hope that seemed likely to be fulfilled due to how agitated the young man next to her was acting.

She led him to the town's square where Thorn had battled the graveler the night before. The blood that he had bled onto the cobbles the night before was gone – evidently the town was prepared for events like this, and dealt with them on a regular basis. "It was just here," she said, turning to face him. The man looked around casually, his hand resting on the head of his absol as he scanned the area, his eyes darting from side to side.

"Is that the guy?" he asked suddenly, nodding over her shoulder. Jessica spun around, searching for the boy who would no doubt plague her nightmares for the next few days, sneering at her as Thorn lay bleeding on the ground. Suddenly, she saw the boy he was referring to, and gasped slightly as her eyes fixed on him.

"That's him," she confirmed, nodding slightly, her eyes narrowing as the boy strutted out of one of the many stalls that permanently surrounded the square, offering their merchandise to anyone with enough money to buy them. This place was a haven for trainers as the stalls sold many rare items that ordinary pokémarts simply wouldn't have in stock. The boy stopped for a moment his interest fixated on a display of firestones, unaware of the two trainers watching his every movement.

The trainer next to her glanced at his absol for a moment, before nodding and strolling towards the stall displaying firestones. Jessica stared at him for a moment, unsure of whether she should follow, before starting after him.

The trainer and his absol reached the stall, and spent a few seconds appearing to admire the display, until the boy reached for one of the firestones on show, whereupon the absol began to growl softly, causing the boy to glance over at it, and then at its trainer.

"Those are pretty expensive items," the absol's trainer murmured, locking his eyes onto the boy's. "Hope you're not planning on stealing them."

The boy laughed, amused, and shook his head. "No, I have the money." He took out a wallet and shook it slightly, to emphasise his point. "Battling has been going well recently. Have more money than I need, to be honest." His grin faded slightly when he realised that the man's absol was still growling, and the disapproving frown had never left the trainer's face. Jessica took this moment to catch up with them, the smug smile returning on the boy's face as recognition dawned on him.

"I trust it was all honestly gained?" he asked, his eyes still locked on the boy's, his lips barely moving, his body utterly still.

The boy seemed to grow a bit uneasy at this, and behind the stall its owner, recognising the start of a fight when he saw one, began to pack away the more expensive of his items, though he left a solitary firestone on the counter because, well, you never knew.

"Of course!" the boy exclaimed in an aggrieved tone, though his eyes flickered for a moment in Jessica's direction. The absol's growls intensified, and its trainer took a step closer to the boy.

"My friend here says otherwise," he murmured softly, nodding towards Jessica.

The boy gave a little laugh and spat on the dirt beneath him. "My graveler won that battle fair and square. Wasn't my fault that her bulbasaur was a weak sack of shit. Couldn't even put up a decent fight!"

Jessica coloured at these words, outraged at the boy's claims, and took a step forward, intending to punch the living daylights out of him, but the absol's trainer stuck out an arm, impeding her.

"Then how about you battle me?" he asked coldly. "Your graveler must be rearing for a 'good fight' if all you've been doing is thrashing kids lately."

The boy stared at him, appearing to size him up, before his eyes focused on the absol. His eyes widened slightly with greed and he nodded slowly. "Okay then. How about a two-on-two battle, right here, right now? If _you_ win, you get your friends money back. If _I_ win, I get your absol."

He smirked, certain that the trainer would refuse these terms, or at least hesitate before attempting to come to a compromise. To his surprise, the trainer merely chuckled slightly and agreed, turning away from the stall.

They walked into the centre of the town's square without exchanging another word, followed warily by Jessica, who hadn't spoken a word throughout the proceedings and felt more than a little out of place – a feeling which only increased as a crowd began to gather in the square, as word spread of the battle.

The boy released held out two pokéballs, expanded them, and released his graveler, followed by a rather fierce looking mightyena. The other trainer seemed unperturbed and glanced down at his absol. "You want in?" he asked, and only smiled when the absol gave a disinterested grunt and flopped down on the cobblestones, yawning, clearly uninterested in battling.

The boy reddened, clearly angered by the absol's dismissal, and began muttering advice to his pokémon. The other trainer took out two diminutive pokéballs from his pack, expanded them, and released his pokémon in two flashes of light. When the flash subsided a scyther and a heracross stood before him, calmly regarding their opponents with a cool detachment.

"Red, the mightyena's yours, Forge, you take out the graveler. You know what to do," their trainer ordered calmly, almost lazily, a slight smile on his face.

The scyther and the heracross glanced at each other and nodded, moving slowly towards their opponents. The scyther glowed for a second, its twin blades slicing through the air as it spun around, enacting some sort of complicated dance, growing faster and more confident with each step, a move Jessica recognised from her lessons as Swords Dance.

The heracross ignored its partner's antics, concentrating solely on the graveler. Its eyes began to glow slightly and Jessica realised that it was using the fighting move known as Focus Energy; slipping into a mentality where all that exists is the pokémon the user is battling. The boy, surprised that his opponents didn't begin with the physical moves that he had been expecting, ordered his graveler after the scyther and his mightyena to tackle the heracross, determined to interrupt whatever strategy his opponent was using.

The mightyena sprang towards the heracross, only to be tackled in mid jump by the scyther, who raked its blades across the side of the huge dog, causing it to yelp in pain as two parallel cuts opened up along its ribcage. The graveler paused for a moment, unsure whether or not it should continue going after the scyther, which was a good few feet away from it, or deal with the fast approaching heracross. Making a quick decision, it held back one of its four fists, which glowed brightly as it prepared to unleash a devastating Rock Smash. As the heracross made it to within a metre or so of the rock-type, it lashed out, but connected only with mere air as the heracross dissolved before its eyes.

The graveler glanced around, confused, before its trainer suddenly screamed out a warning. "Behind you!"

The graveler made to spin around, but the warning came too late, and the heracross' knee connected with the graveler's back with a sickening crunch. The graveler crashed into the ground but swiftly pulled itself back up to its feet, its eyes narrowed, not going to be fooled by another double team. It threw another Rock Smash, which connected this time, but the heracross appeared completely unfazed, rapidly replying with a punch of its own. The graveler took a step back, then another, as the heracross rained blows down upon it, its fists gradually becoming two rapid blurs, pounding the rock-type into submission.

Meanwhile, the mightyena had gotten to its feet once more, and began to throw every attack in its arsenal at the fluidly moving scyther. The bug-type seemed to take little notice of the teeth and claws that snapped and swiped at it, dancing with seemingly little regard for the mightyena at all, but somehow never being in the space that the mightyena was trying to bite or scratch.

Incensed by this, the mightyena let out a bone-chilling howl and charged at the scyther, its eyes wide with rage. The scyther appeared not to notice it until the last possible second, simply stepping by as eighty pounds of snarling canine flew past, its scythes flashing in the sun as it sliced through the mightyena's coat. The dog stopped in its tracks, slowly turning around, panting, blood slowly seeping out of its cuts. Behind it the heracross ceased pummelling the now dazed graveler, then grabbed two of its arms, opened up its wings and took to the air, lifting the graveler beneath it. When it reached about twenty feet it paused once more, hovering above the battle field, and began to spin around.

The crowd began to move back, not wanting to get in the way of a plummeting graveler. All eyes were on the blue bug and its cargo, high up above them. The heracross seemed to reach its maximum speed, and, with a slight groan, swung the graveler over its head, sending it hurtling back toward the battlefield.

The mightyena seemed to sense that something was wrong when the scyther suddenly darted away, and it turned around slowly, apprehension building. It caught sight of the graveler at the very last second, but there was no time for it to react before the rock type slammed into it, pinning it to the ground as a cloud of dust rose up around their prone, unmoving forms.

When the dust settled the two bug-types walked back to their trainer, following him when he then ambled over to his opponent. "Guess I win," he stated coldly, holding out an outstretched hand, eyes fixed on the boy's.

The boy paused a moment, before shaking his head and trying to back away. He turned around, and collided into an immovable and malevolent scyther, which glared at him, its blades crossed, causing him to take a step back. The trainer laid a hand on his shoulder. "I wouldn't try running away, if I was you," he murmured, almost kindly. "Red's not the most…restrained of pokémon."

The boy only stared, and wordlessly reached into his pocket and produced the money, trembling slightly. The trainer counted it carefully, and then gestured for more. The shaking boy silently added a few more poké to the wad of cash. When the trainer was satisfied he returned his scyther and heracross, but left his absol out. "What's your name?" he asked the boy, almost as an afterthought.

"J-James Rams-sey," the boy stuttered, clearly just wanting to get away, though not prepared to simply walk off while the absol continued to keep its eyes on him, a rather unreassuringly evil glint in its amber eyes.

The trainer leaned towards him, his face set into a fixed smile. "If I ever catch you lying about your badge count again, it'll be _you_ waking up in a hospital, rather than your pokémon, understand?" When the boy nodded he shoved him away, saying, "Now get your pokémon back to the centre. They're in pretty bad shape."

He continued watching the younger trainer as he recalled his pokémon and sped off in the direction of the Pokémon Center. When the boy had disappeared from sight he turned to Jessica and held out the money. Jessica gratefully took it off him, still a little stunned by the battle she had just witnessed. "That…that was incredible," she stammered, unable to express the awe she was currently feeling, her interest in her mysterious benefactor alight.

The trainer only shrugged. "The kid needed to be taught a lesson. The way he was going, he'd screw with someone more dangerous than he could handle and end up face down in a ditch somewhere." He paused before noting the shocked look on Jessica's face, defensively continuing, "It's happened to better people."

The girl only shook her head slowly. "Who are you?" she asked, exasperated.

"Just…call me Adam."


	3. Chapter 2: Whistleblower

**(A/N) Ok guys, after a bit of a delay we're back, ready to début the first chapter from another one of our writers – one Gumby1011, who will be writing for Edwin Spruce! I'm hoping that we'll be able to post weekly updates from here on out, so we should have our next update next Thursday, and every Thursday after that, with a little bit of luck!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Two – Whistleblower**

**Edwin Spruce**

**Written by Gumby1011**

* * *

_"Paranoia is just having the right information." ― _William S. Burroughs

* * *

As the sun rose over the skyline of Tombolo City, he was walking its streets. He'd memorized his route by heart: he'd chosen his apartment for its location after all. _Five minutes' walk from a pokémart. Ten minutes' walk from a hospital. Three minutes' walk from the chemist. And fifteen minutes' walk to work._

He'd left forty-five minutes before he had to be at work, as per his personal protocol. There was a slight breeze tousling his side-parted black hair, and Edwin Spruce growled in irritation. He hadn't taken the time to comb it like Mother would want him to. True, he had been preoccupied elsewhere, but other workers might notice something was up. _Oh well. Too late now._ The wind picked up as the youth rounded the corner, further disturbing his hair and even flaring out his lab coat. He simply scowled at this.

Looking up at his destination through half-moon glasses, Edwin couldn't help but keep the scowl going. After all he'd done for these ungrateful idiots– _after all the knowledge he'd given them!_ And they would go and stab him in the back like-... Well, it was a small thing, now. Like a graceful father, he had endowed his inferiors with knowledge, and they had gone and been foolish with it. It was time to revoke their privileges.

The youth walked through the parking lot to the large, glass double-doors bearing the logo of his employers: **Dorian Incorporated**. A nod to the security officer, and the blue-uniformed man opened the door. He was smiling as stupidly as ever, Edwin noticed. It had always bothered him that Dorian only ever had one security guard posted at a time. Surely it was as obvious to them, as it was to him, that such precious secrets needed the best protection! Well, apparently the lab designers thought that all of the automated security features were more than enough to compensate. _Fools. _Alas, their loss was his gain.

Edwin was almost to the elevator when he heard the guard behind him. "Sure is windy today."

A shot of panic coursed through Edwin. That idiot noticed his hair! The youth turned back towards the guard and spat "Oh, really? What was your_ first_ clue?" Without a word more, he stepped into the elevator and pressed a few buttons, closing the door. He'd noticed the name-tag on the security guard. _Anton… Feh._ Then he was greeted by blessed, merciful silence. For all of three seconds.

A peppy female voice sounded off from the elevator's speakers. **"Welcome to Dorian Inc., home of the foremost scientific research and development centre in all of the Lohtan Region!"**

Edwin suppressed a groan in the back of his throat. The PR people had changed it. _Again._ As if the lab ever received visitors. The youth immediately set about mentally noting every single error in the recording.

**"Here at Dorian Inc, we are proud to provide our workers with a productive and professional work environment-"**

_Wrong._

**"-so that they can help pursue the latest technological advances for the good of the region-"**

_Wrong._

**"-its inhabitants-"**

_Wrong._

**"-and even all of mankind."**

_Oh, now that's just conceited._

**"Our latest developments in the field of Inorganic Pokémon Origination have shown particular promise."**

_What?_

**"With this research, Dorian scientists-**

_-I-_

**"-may solve-"**

_-am going to solve-_

**"-one of the most vexing mysteries of our world: the advent of inorganic pokémon. Tests are ongoing-"**

_They've been put on hiatus._

**"But we look forward to solving this mystery soon! The applications of such knowledge will be a boon to our understanding of the pokémon partners we already rely on for so much."**

Edwin just shook his head. What good was it to have to rely on a partner one could barely even communicate with? What meaning could such a relationship hold? Before he could question this any further, a bell chimed.

**"Now arriving at Basement Floor Three."**

Edwin stepped out of the elevator, reviewing everything he'd need to know for today as he walked down the halls to his own lab. Through viewing windows he could see teams of other scientists working on their own R&D projects. As if anybody cared about the new features in the next generation of pokégear. As if any of that mattered. Over the course of but a year, Edwin Spruce had made scientific history! He had discovered new secrets about the dawn of inorganic life! He, Edwin Spruce, had done the work of a _god!_

And somehow, nobody seemed to care.

Edwin had come to realize something about his employers. Something he'd taken for granted at first. Something that now troubled him deeply. The words of that recording only compounded his worry.

_"The applications of such knowledge-"_

But… there _were_ no applications. No patents to be had. No profits to be made. Nothing to fuel the pursuit other than pure academic discovery. He had made this clear to his employers when he'd first earned his position, first proposed his project. And yet… And yet… Why did he feel like he was running on a deadline? Why were his superiors so eager to see the next experiment completed?

After all, he'd had so much success already.

Finally arriving at his own lab, Edwin peered in through the tinted glass of the observation window. There, his creations slept. The young man couldn't help but reminisce on the thrill he'd felt when each of them had been brought into the world.

First his gaze fell upon a small creature, features a blend of reptile and bird. Blue and yellow plumage contrasted sharply with red, scaly skin covering its snout, feet and tail. It was preening within a rather large bird-cage.

_Codename: Genesis. Species: Archen. Experimental procedure: Standard fossil-DNA extraction and cloning carried out upon plume fossil. Test results: Successful. Drawn conclusion: I was deemed the most qualified candidate from among peers. Earned position at Dorian Inc._

Next down the line, a puddle of purple sludge sat in a transparent plastic box with a hinging, locked lid. It shifted for a few moments, before eyes and a mouth appeared in the sludge, and it rose up to form a moving mass, pacing slowly.

_Codename: Toxin. Species: Grimer. Hypothesis: Given a known set of factors, certain types of Spontaneous Pokémon Creation Events can be reproduced. Experimental procedure: using documented records of the conditions surrounding first recorded grimer sighting, concocted chemical/bacterial culture meant to simulate runoff pool of origin. Used custom built Radiation Simulation Chamber to expose pool to traditionally accepted concentration of lunar x-rays that first spawned grimer. Test results: Successful. Drawn conclusion: Spontaneous Pokémon Creation Events proved reproducible. Approved for further research into Inorganic Biological Theory._

Across from Toxin, a metallic creature with artificial-looking bodyparts floated in a plexiglass box.

_Codename: Polaris. Species: Magnemite. Hypothesis: Magnemite and similar inorganic pokémon may have originated as cosmic debris that were exposed to electromagnetic phenomena while orbiting earth. Experimental procedure: Built inert magnemite chassis out of high-iron-content steel, simulating naturally occurring alloy known as "meteoric iron." Exposed chassis to electromagnetic field mimicking geomagnetic storm at low-earth orbit. Test result: Successful. Drawn conclusion: Magnemite proven to be semi-extra-terrestrial in nature. Further tests needed to test possibility of deep-space SPCEs?_

It was about the time of Polaris' creation that Edwin's suspicions about Dorian had been aroused. They had denied his request for further investigation, and shifted his attention to his next project: The floating cogwheel creature in the glass enclosure next to Polaris'.

_Codename: Cog. Species: Klink. Hypothesis: The klink evolutionary line was created during a solar flare which interacted with the fields surrounding the Chargestone Cave, in the Unova region, and gave life to human-built objects. Experimental procedure: Built inert klink from period-appropriate steel. Again, exposed to appropriate EMR conditions. Test result: Successful. Drawn conclusion: Unova's Professor Juniper's theories on Klink SPCE proven valid._

Edwin had begun looking into his employers by the time Cog had been created. But he still needed to work, to keep them from growing suspicious. Before he had finally decided to leave, he'd had enough time to finish one last test. The result of which was the only pokémon in the lab that floated free, its orange, limbless body ponderously floating about. It would not interfere with his equipment.

_Codename: Apollo. Species: Solrock. Hypothesis: Based upon Lohtan folklore, exposure of a sunstone to heavy solar radiation may induce solrock SPCE. Experimental procedure: Expose procured sunstone to appropriate conditions in Radiation Chamber for 1 week. Test result: Successful. Drawn conclusion: Lohtan folklore derived from SPCE event, somehow. Go figure._

That week while Apollo had taken shape had given Edwin all the time required to find out what he needed to know. Sadly, concrete evidence had so far eluded him. But, there was still plenty enough to validate his suspicions. A shipment of metals here, an odd list of components there. Steel, iron, chemicals, computers, cages, all investment capital Edwin dreaded the connection between. And he now feared that sunstones would likely soon be added to the list. Swallowing his anxiety, Edwin stepped into his lab.

As his creations caught sight of him, there was a combined, elated cry. He almost smiled. Almost. "Patience," he soothed the group, holding up a single finger. The pokémon fell silent, although they still awaited their creator excitedly. Edwin took off his backpack and sat down at a desk surrounded by the various enclosures. He reached into his backpack, retrieving his laptop. Flipping the little computer open, he clacked on his keyboard until a command prompt opened up. A brief message appeared.

**Input Directive:**

Edwin spoke. "Run Courier Pidgey program."

**Command accepted.**

**Input message text:**

Edwin nodded, and popped his knuckles before typing out the message he'd already pre-planned:

**Good day, Professor Yew.**

**I'm certain you have a few questions. Like how this text file appeared on your desktop. The answer to which is that I programed a simple computer worm to serve as a messenger. Sorry for the intrusion, but I feared your E-mail would not have been secure enough.**

**This is Edwin Spruce speaking. I believe we met a month ago, during my presentation on the klink SPCE recreation experiment results. Firstly, I would like to apologize for my less-than-flattering response to your request. I have been under much stress as of late, and have not been acting like myself.**

**Furthermore, I have reconsidered my answer to your offer. I think a joint venture may very well be in our best interest. I have already put in my resignation to Dorian upper management. I will likely be arriving in the next twenty-four hours.**

**-Edwin Spruce.**

**P.S. -I still would prefer to not be called an aide. I find the term demeaning, and I will likely be carrying out my own private research on the side.**

"Send message," Edwin commanded. Another line of text appeared.

**Are you sure?**

The youth frowned. "I'm always sure. Don't question me."

**This seems drastic.**

"It's not at all drastic, given the consequences of doing nothing," Edwin corrected, a finger raised.

… **Understood. Message sent.**

A nod. "Then we are ready to begin. Would you kindly send the required items?"

**Affirmative.**

A little circular node next to the jacks and ports on the side of the laptop lit up, firing a white beam of light that spread into a two-by-three rectangle of white orbs. This continued until the beam eventually cut out, and Edwin had six pokéballs sitting on his desk. Then he looked over his laptop. "Say, who in here would like to go on a vacation?"

Instantly, there was an elated uproar echoing throughout the lab. This wouldn't do! They'd be found out! Edwin held up a single hand, and the pokémon fell silent once more. "Good, the-...then we can go." He cleared his throat to stop his voice from cracking again. He was sweating bullets. _Why?_ No one else in Dorian had nearly the intelligence needed to deduce his plan of action!

Edwin looked at the computer. "Begin the camera feedback loop, then get inside their network. I want a full data purge. Anything related to my work- it all has to go. Make it fast."

**Understood.**

**Loop established.**

**Move quickly.**

Edwin nodded. He gathered up the pokéballs and placed one in each enclosure, speaking as he did so. "Alright, so we're all going for a vacation, right? But you're all going to need to get in these if you want to tag along. I won't make you do so, but if you want to come along, you have to go in a ball. Sorry, but that's the law, I don't write it. You can get inside a ball simply by tapping them. When you do so, it wil-"

Before he'd finished speaking, there were five bursts of light and sound. Turning on his heels, he saw only five pokéballs sitting in the enclosures.

_Huh. Well. That was easier than it could have been._

Edwin made another quick sweep of the room, before gathering up the pokéballs, shrinking them, and setting them next to the one already sitting on his belt. Then he walked back to his laptop. "How's everything?"

**All files deleted.**

**Preparing to cover departure.**

**Keep the laptop running.**

Another nod to the computer, and Edwin folded it up before slipping it into his backpack. He buttoned up his lab coat now, covering the pokéballs from sight. Then he walked up to the large, chamber-like device in the back of the lab. It was the only one of its kind. It had taken him nearly four months to build, and was worth more than the average Lohtan citizen earned in a decade. It had given his pokémon life.

And it had to be destroyed.

There was one experiment Edwin had never tried. Perhaps because it was utterly, utterly idiotic. But now was probably the only chance he'd ever get to see if it worked, and besides, its inevitable failure would be quite useful. Edwin looked at the last, empty pokéball in his hand. Then he reached out and placed it in the chamber. Looking to the control panel, he shut the chamber door and began dialling up some settings for a radiation session. It was actually shockingly easy to recreate the conditions that first gave rise to voltorb. It was, after all simple unshielded machinery that gave them life in the first place. Of course, modern factories had plenty of fail-safes in place. Nothing halts production quite like a sentient bomb.

_Codename: Kamikaze._

Edwin took one last look around the room, before setting a five minute delay on the warm-up sequence on the experimental device.

_Species: Voltorb._

He strode out of his lab, the door shutting behind him. He was sure to not rush himself: He needed to look inconspicuous for the cameras.

_Hypothesis: Given the soundproofing properties of standard Dorian Inc. test lab and the sturdy construction of the Radiation Simulation chamber, a moderately-sized explosion within the sealed chamber could remain unnoticed by those on the outside, while unrecognizably mangling the insides._

He stood in the elevator, and couldn't help but feel smug as the recording began its spiel again. They were going to need to replace it again, soon.

_Experimental procedure: Expose one standard pokéball to an EMP similar to the one recorded to be responsible for voltorb's original appearance. Wait five minutes. Fire electrical pulse imitating electric-type pokémon attack, inducing voltorb to use Selfdestruct._

As Edwin strode out of the building, he realized he'd need to move. His apartment was much too close to the building. Cursing himself for not realizing in advance, his scolding turned to praise when he realized he kept most of his daily items in his PC, anyways. Nothing at the old place but lamps and such. Arceus bless modern technology!

Ignoring whatever inane comment the security guard made as he walked out of the building, Edwin reached over his shoulder to his backpack, where a thin wire sat. He plugged it into his glasses, and his PC's desktop appeared, projected onto the lenses. The command prompt showed a countdown timer.

**00:05**

**00:04**

**00:03**

**00:02**

**00:01**

**Pulse fired.**

**Low-intensity EMP detected.**

**Matches profile of voltorb detonation.**

Edwin listened as he walked. No alarms. No shouts. Not even a quip from the security guard. His shoulders relaxed, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

_Test results: Successful._

With a newfound spring in his step and an extremely rare smug grin, Edwin decided to head back to his apartment to get his things.

* * *

Today was indeed a red-letter day. Not only had Edwin shed his servitude lesser minds, but he'd done so without a hitch! He smiled as his creations milled about the small apartment, bringing him items he would need in his new home.

Polaris drifted over, with an assortment of paperclips and thumbtacks sticking to it. It stopped spinning its magnet-units, and the metal tidbits fell into a mug that Genesis was holding in her teeth.

Edwin smiled at this, and took the mug from Gen. "Thank you kindly," he chirped before pushing a button on his laptop. A white beam shot from that circular node like before, and the mug vanished into thin air. It was stored – turned into raw data and sent to the external hard-drive Edwin had used the last time he'd moved.

Elsewhere in his room, Toxin had balanced a hamper on his head and slithered over. Edwin smiled in spite of his impulse to grimace, and made a mental note to disinfect his clothing, later. Another flash of white light, and that was stored as well.

This continued for just about everything Edwin had in his apartment: his mini-fridge, bed, desk, lamps, books, chair, research machines, everything. When they'd finished the young man glanced down at his watch. It was time to go. He looked up at his creations. "Alright, time to get back in the balls."

He heard Cog whine in annoyance behind him, but he didn't really have a choice – he wanted to exit the city discreetly, that would be pretty tough with an entire party of pokémon hovering around! Some idiot trainer would likely try to challenge him, or something.

Taking the pokéballs off his belt, Edwin recalled his creations two at a time. Then he walked over to his laptop and disconnected his external hard-drive before pocketing it. He slipped the PC in his backpack. Edwin took one last look around the shabby apartment before taking a deep breath: today was a good day. A day for new beginnings and fresh starts!

Edwin Spruce walked over to the door and turned the handle. He had about a second to register the man in black standing in the doorway before his world exploded into stars.

He was falling. Falling. Hitting the floor. He tried to get his bearings before he felt someone pulling him up by the front of his shirt.

A deep voice growled down at him. "Bet you think you're pretty damned clever, don't ya?"

Edwin didn't dignify a statement of objective fact with a response. "Get your hands off me, you barbarian."

A moment of silence. Just long enough for Edwin's eyes to recover and recognize the security guard from Dorian as the man lifted him._ I knew it._

The guard looked down at Edwin, a burning hatred in his amber eyes. Then an awful grin spread across the man's face. "Sure. Whatever you say,_ sir._"

Edwin saw the intruder reach back with a gloved fist and screwed his eyes shut. The strike was quick. It was painful. It brought back the stars to Edwin's sight.

"Over a terabyte of data purged, and you thought _nobody would notice?"_

A stomp to the gut knocked the wind out of the scientist.

"Didn't even bother to get your trainer card under an _alias?"_

Edwin gasped for air, still barely able to see when he felt boot tread hit his teeth.

"And _you're _supposed to be some _great genius!?"_

There was a burst of sound. A pokéball opening? He almost shouted out to stop his party, when he realized it belonged to the brute.

"Keep the runt down." There was a growl before Edwin's eyes adjusted again, and when they did there was a riolu holding an open palm up mere inches from his face. He recalled that riolu were capable of expelling shock waves from their hands. The small pokémon may as well have been holding a loaded gun to his forehead.

"What do you want?" the young man asked flatly.

"Oh, just a little damage control," the man grumbled. Edwin felt his laptop being taken from his backpack. "I don't like people telling tales on my employers, boy."

Edwin tensed up for a moment, waiting for the perfect moment to move. He heard the man opening the laptop, and a few short keystrokes followed. Then he heard what he'd predicted he would – a quick series of digital whistles and beeps.

"What the-" the thug shouted as the inhabitant of Edwin's laptop flew forth from the screen: pink and blue, oddly birdlike, yellow rings around black pupils for eyes. A porygon-z.

The riolu looked back at the ruckus, away from Edwin. There wasn't time to think. He shouted out: "Digit! Trick Room! "

The virtual pokémon's eyes went black, with green grids overlaying them. This pattern was projected over the rest of the room, and time seemed to slow. Or at least, the Dorian guard and the riolu seemed to slow.

Edwin remained at normal speed, and he bull-rushed the man in black, wrenching the laptop from his hands. He glanced at Digit. "We've got to move!" The two bolted for the door, not stopping to think. Edwin just knew he had to get out. He bolted down the staircase to the front door, but just as he reached for it- a spark! No!

"Digit! Conversion, Grou-AGH!"

Edwin collapsed to the floor as a sharp, tingling pain rolled through his body. It stopped a moment later, with Digit – now brown and tan with pebbled skin – absorbing the electrical arcs jumping from the metal railings and light bulbs that had burst in the narrow stairway. Edwin scrambled to his feet, his legs aching, and burst through the door. He was on the street now.

"Trick Room!"

The sidewalk received a grid overlay, and Edwin flew down it, away from his assailants.

As he regained his senses, the young scientist smelled hot plastic and wiring. Glancing down, he saw that his laptop was smoking. Every shred of evidence he'd gathered may very well have been up in smoke.

_Oh no..._

Edwin growled in frustration. Then he grabbed the first pokéball from his belt and recalled Digit. He was easily five blocks away from his apartment in half as many minutes. It was safe enough to hail a cab now. The streets were crowded and chaotic with other civilians. He could blend in, here.

He needed to find Professor Yew. There was no time to waste, now.


	4. Chapter 3: One Small Step

**(A/N) Hello all, sorry that this chapter is coming a day later than planned, have had busy couple of days lately, but have this one ready for y'all to read! Another opening chapter for the third of our seven writers, this one introduces Valerie Hansen – written by the incredible Minaethiel – and I hope it was worth the wait! We'll have another one for you next Thursday, so stay tuned!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Three – One Small Step**

**Valerie Hansen**

**Written by Minaethiel**

* * *

_"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones_." – Confucius

* * *

_Well… Tombolo. Here it is!_ Valerie didn't know what to think as she stepped down off the small charter plane and onto the runway. No one was waiting for her, she knew. Richie had been too busy to come and greet her, and her parents were all the back across the ocean, on the eastern half of Lohtan. However, she wasn't without company. Looking down to her side, she smiled widely at the familiar black and grey fur of her companion, Wolf. Her houndour had been with her for many years, but he hadn't officially been made her pokémon until a few weeks ago. Even then, it hadn't been easy to convince her parents to let her go.

No, that was wrong. It hadn't been easy to convince them to let her go with _Wolf._ The town of Gloomlurk did not have any houndour living in it. In fact, the forest around it didn't have that many either, and Wolf was the only one she knew about as a _fact_. However, one thing Gloomlurk did have were rumours about houndour, and very few of them were friendly or positive. In fact, they had rumours about absol, mightyena, poochyena… Gloomlurk, despite its name, was not a friendly place towards dark pokémon.

From what Richie would tell her about his trips, Gloomlurk seemed to be the only city truly hostile towards the shadowy pokémon, so it was just Valerie's luck that the first pokémon that she had connected with was a dark type. What's more, her parents had forbidden her from one particularly large building in the southern side of town. No explanation was given, other than that it was somehow linked to the towns inherent phobia of dark pokémon, and Valerie didn't know what had happened in or around the building, but the harshness in their voices had made Valerie keep her distance. When she'd gotten on the plane to Tombolo, no one had paid Wolf a second glance, made a distasteful comment, or anything! It had been a far cry from what she would expect in her own town. Her parents, unsurprisingly, hadn't taken his presence in stride.

Valerie remembered how her parents had almost flipped their lids when Wolf had walked in through the door. A slightly bittersweet smile painted her face as she thought back to everything leading up to this point, about her parents, and the event that had introduced her to Wolf in the first place.

* * *

_Four years ago..._

Richie had been gone for a few years by this time, travelling with his pokémon, doing whatever trainers did. Valerie missed him more than she cared to admit, especially the walks they used to take in the forest, back when she was younger. The two would often take turns guessing what pokémon they could hear, and Valerie would giggle when Richie joked around, suggesting that the tweeting in the trees above them were being made by geodude, trying to be covert. Even after Richie left, Valerie had continued the walks, opting to take the family leafeon with her. Her parents never wanted her to go without one of them, but it wasn't hard to sneak out of the house when they were both gone. Leafeon made for good company, Valerie had to admit, even if she couldn't talk back to her like Richie could.

Valerie once held the same wariness and fear her town held toward dark types. The only time she'd spotted anything that looked remotely like a dark type, she'd run home screaming about a mightyena that she thought was chasing her. It took her an hour to gain composure before returning to the house, and that was only because, after a couple of seconds of screaming, she'd realised that what she had thought was a mightyena, was, in fact, a metapod, lying in the shadow of a tree. Her parents were extremely overprotective of her, but she guessed that that was probably due to Richie being away. She had often overheard her parents worrying about him, and more than once had caught them saying that it had been so long since they had last heard from him, that it was almost as if he had never existed. If they knew that she had been running away from random things in the forest, they'd make sure she never went alone, and it would be 'bye-bye, secret walks with Leafeon'.

There was only one day where Valerie wished that her parents had been with her, and that was the day she met Wolf.

It was pretty much a standard, ordinary walk when Valerie and Leafeon started out. Maybe a bit cloudier than the dark-haired girl would have liked, but it was nothing to complain about, as the forest would provide ample cover if it started raining. Valerie had stopped by a small creek that she and Leafeon had discovered on a previous day, when a small cry had come from the bushes nearby. Valerie felt naturally curious about the sound, as it was vaguely familiar. Maybe a pokémon she and Richie had gone over before, back in the day…?

"Come on, Leafeon!" Valerie chirped to her companion, who glanced over at her inquisitively, making up her mind. "Let's find out what's making that noise."

Leafeon gave a low grunt of acknowledgement, following Valerie through the brush. Valerie hummed a little tune, before the leafeon stopped and nudged her to the left, causing the young girl to gasp in surprise.

On the path was a scratched up weedle, squeaking quietly in pain, alone on the forest's floor.

"Poor thing," Valerie cooed softly, moving forward to examine it. Before she could lay a hand on it, she heard an angry humming and flaps of wings, and Leafeon peeled off into the bushes in fear. Everything was a blur to Valerie as she, too, turned and ran. Problem was, she had no idea where she was running. Just away. Away from the angry cries, buzzing, and the threatening movements.

"Mommy! Daddy!" she cried out, as terrified tears began streaming down her face. Cuts were gathering on her face, arms, and legs from running through sharp bushes as she veered off from the worn path, and seconds later she finally tripped on a root, landing face-first into the dirt.

Stars burst in her vision, but the sounds of pursuit only grew nearer until they echoed around her like a loud rush in her ear. Just when Valerie thought she'd end up paralyzed in the forest or worse, a loud, furious bark sounded from her left side. When Valerie first saw Wolf she actually screamed even louder than she had been before. After all, she'd heard the stories about houndour and their kind. Dark types dragging children into the woods to devour, and those were among the less scary.

However, much to her surprise, the houndour leapt at her attackers, driving them off with fire and teeth, barking furiously. Valerie's heart rate was almost through the roof, and she could only stare at the houndour as it balefully glared after his terrified adversaries. Finally, it turned around to face her, and Valerie squeaked in terror. This was it; she was finally going to be eaten.

To her astonishment, the houndour did nothing. All it did was stare at her for a moment before tilting his head. If Valerie wasn't mistaken, he seemed almost… curious. Against her better judgment, she reached a small hand forward and set it on his head. He growled slightly, and Valerie snapped her hand back in alarm. Still, the houndour did nothing. When Valerie didn't reach forward to touch him again, he padded forward and dug his snout under her hand, forcing it on his head. Mechanically, Valerie scratched behind his ear, surprised to hear a rumble of approval, and even more surprised to see his stubby tail wag.

A watery smile crossed her face at the display.

"You… you're not that bad, are you, fella? You just want a bit of attention?"

She pulled out a poffin treat from her bag – a spicy one from the looks of it – and held it out for him. He looked at it quizzically before taking it in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. The wagging of his tail again signified his pleasure, and Valerie grinned even wider. He wasn't so bad at all. He was like the cute little fuzzy dog on her favourite show. It was a children's show, about a world filled with weird kinds of pokémon called 'animals', and Valerie's favourite ones had been these wiry, loping, graceful creatures called 'wolves'.

"You seem like a 'Wolf' kind of doggy. What do you think little guy? Do you mind if I call you Wolf?"

The newly christened 'Wolf' finished chewing and simply barked, "'Dour," in reply, his tail still wagging, a smile on his black face.

"Wolf it is then!" Valerie exclaimed gleefully. Sure that she was safe now, she gleefully hugged her new friend. "Thank you so much for saving me. I'll come back every day with treats for you! You just have to promise that you'll take walks with me, ok?"

She probably had to find Leafeon too, she suddenly realised. Her parents would be upset if the grass-type came home without her. Then she'd never get to see Wolf again! Problem was, where was home? Without any warning, Wolf got to his feet and began trotting in a random direction.

"Wait! Don't leave me here!" Valerie cried, terror welling up in her again as she chased after Wolf. As it turned out, she didn't need to worry about him leaving her. All through the forest, the houndour led her straight back to Gloomlurk, crouching in the bushes at the edge of town. Leafeon was barking worriedly from the front of the house, which made Valerie groan. Before she left to comfort the runaway pokémon, Valerie turned to Wolf.

"Just wait for me every day by the big old oak, ok? I promise I'll come find you."

"'Dour," was the only response she got, before the dark dog trotted off back into the forest, disappearing into the shadows without a trace.

That had been the start of a four-year relationship that Valerie had never regretted. Wolf had always been there for her, and she knew that he always would be.

* * *

_A week ago..._

She'd been sixteen for three months when she finally decided what she wanted to do as a trainer. The trainer part, at least, had always been guaranteed – she had never even felt the remotest hint of interest in another career path. She knew her parents, Lillian and John Hansen, wanted her to go into grass type pokémon, and once upon a time, Valerie would have gladly obliged. However her heart kept tugging her towards the little houndour sitting beside her.

"Wolf, have you ever wanted to just leave the forest and explore?"

She had never expected much of a response from him, but then again she never needed one to feel like he was listening to her. Today was no exception.

"Gloomlurk is my home, and it's been great, but I feel so constricted being here. There are two roads out of here, and the rest is forest. I've never been allowed to explore beyond the forest around here, and that's only because no one can spare the time to me to somewhere cool and different, like the desert up in the north. I mean yeah, it's all sand and stuff, but it must be more entertaining than just walking around Gloomlurk all day. I'm not a kid anymore, after all!"

His short, somewhat wiry hair brushed against her arm, and she smiled softly down at him, shaking her head.

"Just listen to me whine, Wolf. I couldn't leave you behind though. You're my best friend."

Sure, she had plenty of people she knew and liked around town, and there were plenty of people she enjoyed hanging out with in Gloomlurk, but no one knew all of Valerie's secrets like Wolf did. It sure wasn't from lack of trying on Valerie's part to find a human companion to consider a best friend, but none of them seemed to have that special click. There was just the normal kind of clicking. Sighing, Valerie stared out restlessly into the forest, her thoughts racing, at almost a mile a minute. A sharp tug on her long ponytail brought her stare back down to Wolf. The bold houndour had gotten up and was staring at her intently, having grabbed her hair with its teeth.

"What?" Valerie asked with a grin, pushing Wolf away. "Do you want to play with a stick again? Play hide and seek?"

Wolf shook his head, pointing his noise down the trail to where Valerie would always meet him.

"'Dour," he growled slightly.

Valerie was admittedly puzzled by the display. In the silence a butterfree call sounded through the forest, and Valerie started slightly before shaking her head and standing up. "Are you tired out for the day?"

It seemed unlikely, considering it was only midday. "I could go and get us lunch if you want?"

Wolf snorted slightly and took off down the trail a ways before turning around to her expectantly. With another look, he took off down the path. Alarm wriggled into Valerie's stomach. That path led to Gloomlurk, and no one there would hesitate to attack him and drive him off if he stepped one paw into town.

"Wolf, wait!" she called out before sprinting after him, her hair catching on low hanging branches every now and then. "Wolf, you can't go that way!"

The worry proved to be unfounded, as she found him sitting in the shadows on the edge of her home. For the first time ever, Valerie was furious with her companion.

"Wolf, you know better than that! Why did you lead me all the way here?"

Steadily returning her gaze, Valerie got the sense that Wolf was just as exasperated. He looked at her house again and back to her. Valerie began trying to put together what the meaning was in her head. Understanding hit her like a bolt of lightning from a pikachu.

"You… you want to come with me? Not home, but away from it?"

"'Dour," Wolf again got out, the tone seemingly pleased.

A stupid grin stretched across her face and she sat down before flinging her arms around Wolf's neck.

"We'll be the best partners ever! Just you wait! Gosh, but I'll have to pack! What will I need? Maybe Richie will tell me. I'm sure he'd love to meet you and-"

She stopped short, groaning. "My parents are going to kill me when they see you."

However, she took a deep breath and steeled her shoulders. "Well they'll just have to deal with it! You're going to come with me whether they like it or not! Maybe…maybe we should get this meeting over with… Come on, Wolf! It's now or never."

Without a glance at him, Valerie could tell that Wolf was feeling wary. He was always uneasy around pokémon and people that he didn't know. Leafeon was the only one she knew of that Wolf had gotten used to. Hopefully that would count for something in the house. She stopped at the door and bit her lip in contemplation, before deciding swiftly to just wing it. No matter how much she planned, her parents would still freak out, of that she was certain. Better to just take everything one step at a time.

She opened the door and peered around curiously, motioning for Wolf to stay back for a moment.

"Mom? Dad? Remember when you told me to think about whether or not I wanted to be a trainer like Richie?"

From the kitchen, her father poked his head out. Like Valerie, John Hansen had chestnut-coloured hair that was neatly arranged. He was always expected to be fairly neat, as he worked as a chef within Gloomlurk's only bistro. Valerie's mother was just coming down the stairs of the house, her longer blond hair pulled into a bun and a bandana around her head. No doubt she was preparing to tend to the community garden. However, both of them always managed to find time for her if she had a problem, and she knew that this would be no exception.

"Honey, you don't have to feel pressured into be a trainer if that's not want. You can always find something else to do. Have you considered doing contests? Being a coordinator would still mean that you could work with pokémon?"

Valerie had considered her mother's suggestion at one point, but she couldn't stand all the dressing up. She had no qualms about dressing up for fancy parties, but she couldn't stand being in heels and dresses as a career. She knew Wolf would hate it too. He just didn't have the calves for heels.

"No, it's not that… I want to be a trainer, I _really_ do, and I've found the perfect partner for me."

This seemed to heighten her parent's interest. They had wanted her to take Leafeon as her partner on her sixteenth birthday, but Valerie just couldn't do it. She hadn't felt ready. Now she felt like she was more than ready to take on pokémon battles as a trainer, but Leafeon, as much as she loved the grass-type, wasn't the one for her.

"Wolf!" she called out, stepping aside so her friend could enter. As soon as he made it into the doorway, she watched as her parents' expressions changed to the predictable shock. Oh yeah, the last thing they had expected was a houndour.

"Valerie… sweetie… do you know what that is?" her father murmured in a calm, steady voice, but Valerie knew him more than well enough to detect the edge beneath it. She was impressed at his control, until she realized he was probably making the effort not to anger Wolf. She sighed, taking a knee and laying a confident hand on Wolf's ears, scratching them affectionately.

"I'm aware. Wolf here has been my best friend for a few years now. We met in the forest after Leafeon and I got separated one day."

She'd made it a point not to tell her parents about exactly _how_ she and Leafeon had gotten separated. They probably would have banned her from going out into the forest without them after that, something that they hadn't felt necessary for a year or two now, and she would've been forbidden from seeing Wolf again.

"A few years?" Now her mother was incredulous – and angry – Valerie realized, as the familiar look that warned of an imminent lecture crossed onto her mother's face. Her father put down whatever he was working with in the kitchen and came out, stopping to stan beside Valerie's mother.

"Look, I know what you guys are going to say! 'You know what they say about dark types', and 'How many times have you heard the stories about absol and what they do to people when they catch them alone?', but I know Wolf! He'd never ever hurt me, and even if he wanted to, he would have done something when we were alone in the forest together. Besides, Leafeon likes him!" she pointed out earnestly, nodding to where the grass pokémon was giving enthusiastic trills as she wound herself around the houndour. Wolf himself was still as a statue, staring up at Valerie and her parents with a steady gaze.

Her parents swapped unsure looks, casting wary glances at the houndour in their home.

"I'm not going anywhere without him," Valerie asserted softly when neither of them spoke up. As if to emphasize her point, Wolf sat down as she scratched his ears, leaning into her slightly.

"Valerie, we'd be a lot more comfortable if you took Leafeon instead. I'm sure that… Wolf is very nice, but we wouldn't feel safe without a pokémon we could trust helping you. I'm sure Leafeon is just as capable," her mother finally put forward. Her tone was gentle, as if she were speaking to a child that wouldn't understand.

"It's not that we don't trust_ you_, Valerie," her father rushed to add as Valerie opened her mouth to protest. "It's just that we don't trust _him_."

Drawing her mouth in a stubborn line, Valerie lifted her head.

"Then trust me when I say that you can trust him. Wolf would fight tooth and nail to protect me. Isn't that right, Wolf?" Inquiring with Wolf was one way she hoped to convince her parents. If she could show that he responded to her in a positive way, then they'd _have _to let her take him! As luck would have it, her partner gave a growl of acknowledgement.

Valerie's parents looked at each other, their sighs almost music to her ears. They were considering it. They _had_ to be!

Another sigh before her father spoke up. "I'm sorry, Valerie. Unless you take Leafeon with you, we simply can't allow you to leave on your own. Send Wolf back where he belongs and don't go to see him again. We don't want you anywhere near him."

Immediately Valerie felt her hopes crush into powder. Her parents hadn't even _tried _to understand! Had she brought home something like a glameow or a ralts they probably would have let her go, but Arceus forbidshe bring home a _houndour_!

Without a word, she fled the house, knowing Wolf would follow her wherever she went. All Valerie wanted to do was get as far away from her parents as possible. They said they trusted her, but they didn't trust her trust in Wolf. There was only one thing she could reasonably do: get Richie to help her out. He'd understand. He _had_ to!

It took only a couple minutes to dial Richie's number on her cell phone, once she reached the security of a small alcove in the woods, and it only took three rings for him to answer.

"Hello?"

"Richie! It's me."

Valerie could almost envision the smile on her brother's face.

"RieRie, I haven't talked to you in a little while. Last week, wasn't it? What's up?"

The long-haired girl smiled at the use of her nickname, shaking her head slightly as she stared around the forest. "Something like that. I… uh… well I need some help. See, I brought my chosen partner pokémon to Mom and Dad, but they don't approve at all. I don't want to be a trainer if he's not by my side. Do you think… maybe… you could get us to Tombolo or something? Just Wolf and I? I don't want Mom and Dad to know. They'd try to stop me."

"Uh huh… and just who is this partner of yours that they didn't approve of?"

He had that knowing tone that he liked to use on her when he knew she was disobeying orders. Valerie sighed, and felt Wolf nuzzle his muzzle under her arm. Almost unconsciously she began to stroke his rough fur.

"Well… I brought a houndour home to meet them. His name is Wolf. I tried to tell them he was perfectly safe, but they wouldn't listen. Unless I take Leafeon, they aren't going to let me go."

Her brother was silent for a few minutes. Though they'd made sure to keep in contact since he'd left, this was one of those times where she didn't know what he'd say.

"Ok."

Valerie blinked once in surprise, evidenced by her dumbed down reply. "Huh?"

"I said ok," he clarified, with some amusement in his voice. "I'll wire you some funds and get you over here. You're going to need to get a backpack to keep spare clothes and other things in. Get winter boots, winter coat and everything you need for inclement weather. Don't forget an emergency kit! And-"

"Ok, ok, Richie! I understand. I'll prepare the best that I can. Will you… can you meet me at the airport when I get there?"

"Sorry RieRie. I can't leave to come see you, but promise me you'll call as you land."

"I promise," she responded immediately. "Thank you so much, Richie."

* * *

Valerie had kept true to her word; she smiled to herself as she recalled the conversation she had had with her brother as soon as she had entered Tombolo airspace. She'd been far too impatient to wait until she landed. Richie had travelled around Lohtan as well, and no longer held the prejudices her parents did against dark-type pokémon. He'd seen many a dark-type in his battle, and each one was as dedicated to its trainer as much as his own pokémon were to him. What had he said he trained? Steel types, that was it. She hadn't seen his empoleon, Trident, since he was a piplup.

Part of her had been hoping that Richie would have met her in the city she had landed in, but she knew he had his own obligations elsewhere. Besides, she felt the thrill of adventure causing her to stride forward confidently. The entrance into the city was a grand sight, just as she'd expect a city of that size to be. It was a colossal city in Valerie's opinion – easily tripling the size of Gloomlurk, if not outright crushing it completely – and she knew straight away that Wolf wasn't a fan of it. There were people seemingly everywhere! His gaze was flicking suspiciously from one person to the next, particularly those that held their gazes in Valerie's direction for too long.

"Hey, it's fine, Wolf. No one here is going to do anything. We'll go see if we can set up at the Pokémon Center while we get our bearings, ok? I'll bet Richie would know where I should start. We could take on the gyms, or go exploring, or become breeders, or… there are endless possibilities!"

Wolf seemed more exasperated than anything as he blinked slowly at his trainer, but didn't protest as the longhaired girl began to stride confidently through the city.

There were a lot of strangely built buildings, and Valerie was fascinated by the architecture, but she didn't feel confident enough to linger. By the Pokémon Center, a man was telling a vivid story of the myth of the island. According to him, Lohtan had once been the home of the legendary creator, Arceus. Valerie had heard many a childhood tail contradicting that, but who knew what was true and what was false? It wasn't her place to question the culture of the city.

A smile brightened Valerie's face as she stepped inside the door of the Center. Yup, just like home. She was making that comparison a lot, she noticed. Maybe she was more homesick than she thought. Regardless, she strode easily to the counter, where a bored-looking girl was sitting. She had blonde hair that reached down to her shoulders and sat in neat waves against her shoulders. She looked up at Valerie's approach and blinked blue eyes before getting into a more interaction-friendly position.

"Yes? Can I help you? Does your houndour need checked on?"

"Oh no, not that," Valerie assured. "I just arrived here, and I was hoping that I could maybe stick around here for a few days while I get my bearings. I could help out around here in exchange if you like."

"Well, there's not necessarily a shortage of volunteers, but I'm sure the head nurse can find somewhere for you. All Pokémon Centers receive funding to allow trainers to stay on for a week, so unless we're full up, you should be okay. Just take a seat and she will see you shortly."

"Thank you!"

Wolf took the lead and nudged Valerie towards a seat in the corner, and he only sat down to watch the room when Valerie did. No, Wolf was certainly not comfortable here. _Not yet, at least_, Valerie thought optimistically.

"Well, Wolf, we're finally here! Everything can only look up from this moment on!"

She could almost feel the strange looks she was receiving at the nickname. Ok, so maybe "Wolf" was a strange nickname, but the teeth hanging out from the side of his face reminded her of the funny would-be pokémon she'd see on the television when she was younger. And he didn't exactly seem to mind the title. If he ever showed a hint towards disliking it, she'd gladly change his name. All she wanted was something truly fitting for him.

Wolf himself shot her a look that seemed full of exasperated disbelief, and Valerie scratched his ears affectionately.

"You'll see! Everything is going to be just fine."


	5. Chapter 4: Changing Paths

**(A/N) Hey all, time for another chapter in Chasing Shadows, débuting another one of our eight characters, with only three more to come after! So, I'm happy to introduce you to Laura Thompson, written by the fantastic SpoonyAzul, and think her path's going to grab you all!**

**As always, enjoy! **

* * *

**Chapter Four – Changing Paths**

**Laura Thompson**

**Written by SpoonyAzul**

* * *

"_I'd rather attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed." _– Robert H. Schuller

* * *

_Six years ago…_

Twelve-year-old Laura found it difficult to sleep.

She tossed and turned, restless inside her white comforter like a butterfree wriggling out of its cocoon. Her new pyjamas, a light blue shirt and cotton bottoms with a little squirtle pattern, were a little hot, but comfortable. Her pillow was wet from her tears and her eyes red and puffy from crying so much.

All because of the contest and the falling out with her mother...

She sat up on her bed, looking around her new room. It wasn't much, save for her bed and dresser. Most of her belongings were still packed in cardboard boxes, including her PC. It wouldn't be until tomorrow that she started unpacking everything and it would be like home. Then, she saw her shinx, Jet, sleeping at the foot of her bed.

His big ears twitched and perked up every few minutes while he purred loudly, as if he was snoring. She smiled a bit, thinking of how Jet loved the quiet of Outset Ridge.

She learned that her new home was a very far cry from Isthmus City. Instead of a bustling city with loud traffic and the occasional police siren, Outset was a small quiet town, overlooking grassy fields and the sandy beaches on the other side of Outset. A small PokéMart was the only shop in the village, with a Pokémon Center right next to it. The only time the town came alive was when new trainers, as part of the Urban Youth Rehabilitation Scheme run by the government, came to Professor Yew for a pokémon to start with. The town seemed friendly enough, if a bit dull.

Unable to sleep, the girl turned over her covers and walked downstairs to the kitchen, rubbing the grime out of her eyes and yawning. She opened the cabinet door to get herself a glass when she heard a faint "hoo-hoo" from outside the sink's window.

Moonlight casted the tree and the ground outside in a light blue glow while it was all still and quiet, save for the "hoo-hoo" sound.

She looked up at the tree brunch and saw something brown and fluffy balancing itself on one leg. A pair of wide, red eyes stared at Laura for a moment, then it tilted its head, as if curious of the blonde girl. It blinked a few times, let out a "hoo-hoo, "turned around and stretched its wings before flying off into the night.

"Whoa..." she whispered. The nocturnal bird soared and hovered over the trees before swooping down into the forest and disappearing from sight.

Then footfalls were heard, making the floorboards in the hallway creak, "Can't sleep, sweetheart?"

Laura turned her head to find her father standing in the doorway, dressed in a red cotton robe over his night clothes. His eyes drooped a bit behind his glasses and wore a tired grin on his face.

"Sorry, Dad," Laura said, "There was something in the window. It was keeping me up at night."

"Let me guess, brown feathers, wide red eyes, stands one leg, goes 'Hoo! Hoo-hoo!'" As he gave the description, he did a poor imitation of the creature she saw, standing clumsily on one foot.

When she nodded, her dad chuckled, "That's a hoothoot, Laura. It's a flying pokémon that only comes out at night. They're commonplace in Outset."

After a few seconds of thinking, Laura spoke up, "Do you think I could have one, Dad?"

Her dad quirked an eyebrow at her question, "Why would you want another pokèmon? You're happy with your shinx, aren't you?"

"Well..." she began to say when a small mewing sound caught her ears.

Laura turned her head at little Jet strolling down into the kitchen, his large yellow eyes. _Must've stirred awake while I gone._ Jet walked over to his owner and rubbed his head against her leg, his blue and black fur soft against her skin. She scratched behind one of his large ears, eliciting a purr from the little cat, before kneeling and scooping Jet up in her arms, its head nestled on her shoulder.

"Of course I am, dad. I'm happy with Jet." she said, running her hand along his back, "It's just...I was thinking that he could use a friend."

It wasn't a lie, not entirely.

"Laura, you know you can't lie to me," her father said, "This isn't about making friends. You need to tell me what's wrong. For one, why did your mother suddenly decide to kick you out of house?"

She hesitated a bit, unsure of how her father would react to the decision she made a few nights ago.

Finally, she blurted out, "I told Mom I didn't want to be a coordinator. I told her that I still wanted to be a pokémon trainer."

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow, "What did she say?"

He walked over to the couch in the living room and sat down, gesturing her to do the same.

As soon as Laura sat down, she told her story, "When I said that, she got angry with me, said that if I wanted to keep Jet, then I have to be a coordinator. I just thought of losing him and I instantly snapped. We ended up arguing for who-knows how long. She didn't want to hear what I had to say. She just kept screaming at me, trying to drown out my voice just to get her point across."

She took a shaky breath, "That's when I told her I wanted to be a pokémon trainer. After that..."

Her father didn't need to hear the rest. He knew what happened when he pulled into the driveway and saw his daughter on her porch with her shinx in her lap and a suitcase full of clothes.

"Hmm," her father contemplated. "While I can see why your mother reacted the way she did, threatening to take away Jet and kicking you out was unnecessary and extreme, even for her."

He then sighed, "But you should know, Laura, that being a trainer is dangerous work. It's not like being a coordinator, where there's a medical team on standby. It's traveling the world while catching deadly creatures and fighting people who are a lot stronger than you. One wrong turn, one slip-up and you could end up injured or dead. I've seen it happen to a lot of good people. It's not an easy life."

Laura nodded, "I know, but Dad, it's what I want to do. I never liked being a coordinator. It's what Mom wanted, not me."

Her father looked her in the eye, "Is that what this is about?"

Laura sighed, standing up on her feet, "No. I didn't make this decision overnight or just to spite her. I've been thinking about it for a month now. I know you might not approve of me being a trainer, but dressing up in frilly outfits, acting all girly-girl, trying make Jet look pretty? That's not me. That's not what I'm meant to do, what Jet is meant to do, not after what I saw that day."

* * *

_Six months beforehand..._

It was during the spring contest in Isthmus City that this happened. In the middle of the dance part of the competition, Team Rocket decided to show up and steal all the pokémon they could. Grunts dressed in black were everywhere, taking pokémon from contestants and audience members at gunpoint. Then they started laughing at the contestants as they began sobbing and wailing at the loss of their cleffa or pichu.

Laura was one of the dressing rooms when it started, getting for her dance number. She had dressing up for the act that she and Jet had been working on for months. She had put the bow on his tail when she heard a low growl.

"Hey," she pointed a finger at him, "I know you don't like it, but it's what have to work with. Maybe we'll get some sunglasses and-"

"Go away!"

Laura shook her head in confusion at the abrupt voice. Then she turned her head at the sound of footfalls just outside the dressing room.

"No! You stay away from her! You can't take Maggie away from me! She's mine!" A girl. One of the contestants, she thought. It sounded like she was running from someone. Laura nudged over to the door a bit and peeked

"Come back here, you little shit! Give me that magby! Now!" Another voice, a man this time, with heavier footfalls than the child he was chasing. She couldn't see what going on.

The girl spoke up again, practically screaming, "Go soak your head, you dumba-"

_BRAAAAAAAP!_

The loud sound rang through the air, followed by a thud on the wooden floors. At first, Laura didn't know what was going on. It was so sudden. All she knew was that the girl went quiet and the magby she owned suddenly wailed in sorrow.

"Stupid little brat," the man muttered, "Now, then you're coming with me. Something as powerful as you isn't meant to be a child's plaything anyway."

That's when it clicked. Laura came to a horrible realization after the heavy footsteps and the magby's cries went further away. This...this wasn't real. Curiosity got the better of her when she stepped out of the dressing room and peeked behind the curtain. A gasp escaped from her lips when a girl in a red and yellow suit laid slumped against the wall, no younger than Laura. She wasn't moving, a darker red had stained her yellow shirt and pooled underneath her, soaking onto the wood.

_She was dead._

Laura stood there on the verge of tears when she heard more voices and gunfire. Scared that she would end up the same, she grabbed Jet, ran back into the dressing rooms and hid under the table. She silently sobbed while the shinx purred and comforted her until a police officer came in and found them after Team Rocket was chased out of the convention hall.

* * *

The whole incident made her re-think about what she was doing with her life. She always wanted to be a trainer, but thought that being a coordinator was a good compromise. She'd have pokémon at her side and wouldn't have venture in the dangerous outside world. At least that what her mother told her. She said it would be fun to do.

After seeing the girl with the magby perform on stage, she realized how miserable she was. Her mother berated her for any mistakes during practice and they argued over the smallest details. What was worse, Jet would always take off his accessories after Laura had painstakingly picked out the colours for him.

It wasn't after a month had passed that she came to this conclusion and finally said to her mother that she wanted to become a trainer as originally planned. Her mother's reaction was expected, as she was unsupportive of her dream. It immediately turned into a nasty argument and ended with a phone call to her dad's house in Outset, telling him to pick his daughter up from the house.

"Look, I just want to do something that makes me happy, not just everyone else," she protested. "I want to the see the whole continent, to have a team of pokémon at my side and prove to her that having my own desires isn't wrong."

Her father just sighed, "You're serious about being a trainer, aren't you? Even after that hair-raising experience at the convention hall?"

"I am," Laura nodded, "I want to do what I want, not just everybody else wants. Even Jet agreed with me."

At that moment, Jet perked his head up and responded with a "Shin!"

"Okay, then." her father said, standing on his own two feet, "First thing, you're going get some sleep. Second, you'll start school in the fall and finish when you're sixteen."

"Dad?" she was a little frightened by his sudden change in tone, "I thought that..."

"Sweetheart, I know how important being a trainer is to you. But for now, you need to concentrate on your studies. You can't get a licence until you're sixteen anyway, so school's got to come first; have Jet as your starter when you're old enough. Until then, you can keep him as a pet. Luckily, the schools in Tombolo have extracurricular activities for students and their pokémon. You can sign up for those when school comes around. Okay?"

Laura sighed dejectedly, but her father had a point. She knew her dream would have to wait. She was too young to start thinking about what moves Jet could learn or even what type her team would be. She couldn't have him fighting other children's pokémon unless she was a trainer. For now, she would wait it out until she was of age, until she had her own trainer's card in her hands.

She nodded, "Okay."

* * *

_Present Day..._

It was early morning while Laura stared at the mirror at her hair – now in a pixie cut. It was something she had been meaning to do for a while. She had long, wavy hair that she'd put in pigtails sometimes. However, Jet would sometimes play with or latch onto a lock of her while she wasn't looking. It occurred to her that any wild pokémon might do the same if she wasn't paying attention.

She looked at her reflection for a minute before heading downstairs to the kitchen. A heated pot sat on the stove as she stirred it around. She was making treats for the journey ahead. While she looked over the contents of the pot, Jet had rubbed against her leg, purring and meowing happily.

He had grown from a foot tall to almost three feet. A mane surrounded his face in small black tufts of fur and his expression had hardened a bit. A default angry glare had set in his large yellow eyes when he wasn't playing with Laura or enjoying a sweet poffin she made. He had an extra band around his forelegs which generated little arcs of electricity from time to time.

Jet's evolution into a luxio happened during a bike ride in Outset, possibly wanting to keep up with his owner on her bicycle. While he wasn't allowed to fight yet, it didn't stop him from chasing rattata and the occasional spinarak out of the house on a constant basis. Whenever he went outside, he'd chase any flying pokémon that came by, be it pidgey, taillow or fletchling. He wasn't allowed to catch them, after he had brought a still-alive-and-kicking pidgeotto in his mouth while Laura was waking up and getting ready for school one morning.

_Arceus, that was a hell of a way to wake up._

_DING!_

The timer had gone off on the stove. She turned off the heat and moved the pot on the counter, digging with her spoon to get out a small poffin. As she dug it out, Jet just sat on the floor and eyed the confection hungrily. She sighed, "You're still hungry? Even after I gave you a full bowl of food and some water?"

Jet mewed with a big smile on his face while she took out poffins. His eyes grew wider and his head tilted ever so slightly, showing his trademark cute look – the one he only wore when he wanted something.

"These are for the road. Hey, don't give me that look! You can wait. If it makes you feel any better, some pecha berries are just about ripe in the backyard, so you might get some sweet poffins today."

He mewed again, leaping at Laura for a hug. His weight and size caused her to lose her balance and stumble onto the floor. She had her back against the wall while he purred against her chest, "Ow, Jet, you know you're not a shinx anymore, right?"

He answered with a lick to her face. It was as if sandpaper ran across her cheeks. Still, she stood her ground, "You're still not getting any poffins."

At that moment, her father entered the kitchen with a well-worn, leather bag over his shoulders and placed it on the table.

"Dad? What's all this?" Laura looked at the bag with a raised eyebrow.

"A care package...of sorts," he said, rubbing the back of his head with his hand, "This is the bag I used during my journey. Inside is just some medicine that should last until you can get to Tombolo. Also, your mother bought a little something for you."

Her head shot up, unsure whether it was a good or bad thing. She hadn't talked to her much since moving to Outset Ridge. Any time that there was a conversation over the phone, it was awkward and would never get anywhere. Just light conversation about the weather or a new movie coming out. They grew more distant as the years passed, but she couldn't shake off the feeling of regret, arguing with her mother that night.

Still, this was what she wanted. She got her trainer's card, Jet registered as her starter and some money in her trainer's account. Working part-time in the PokéMart helped things a bit. She thought she was off to a good start, so what could she be missing?

He placed a small white box on the table next to the bag. No sooner did she open the box and gazed at its contents, the new trainer let out a gasp of surprise. It was a pokégear, one of the models from last year. Coloured light-blue and yellow, it flipped open to show a LCD screen, showing the default apps. A GPS map, contact list for the phone feature, TraiNet, Pokéblog, camera & camcorder.

"Oh wow," she murmured.

"Not the best model, but it's definitely better than it's what I had as a trainer," her dad said. "I know you and your mother never saw eye-to-eye on things, but she is concerned for you, Laura. She sent this in the mail days after I told her you got your trainer's card."

She didn't know what to think of this. Quickly shaking her thoughts out of her head, she snapped it shut and tucked it away safely inside the bag.

"Laura?"

"Dad, I'm fine." she stated, before slinging the bag over her shoulders. "Just getting nervous is all."

Before her father could say anything, she headed out the front door and unlocked her bike, "I'll stick to the road as much as I can. I'll call you the moment I get to the Pokémon Center in Tombolo. Should get there in no time on my bike."

Hopping up in the seat, she called for her luxio. "Jet, you ready to go?"

"Lux!" he mewed, running to his trainer's side before he disappeared in flash of red light into his pokéball.

With that, she stepped onto the pedal and headed down the road to Tombolo, where her journey would begin.


End file.
